Clarifying sulfurous hydrocarbon oils.



b rrrrnn dramas JOHN W. WARREN, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO I. H. WARREN, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

CLARIFYING SULFUROUS HYDROCARBON OILS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 666,446, dated January22, 1901.

Application filed January 25, 1898. Renewed December 19. 1900- SerialNo. 0,460; (Qpecimensd To all wit/(mt 7,26 may concern:

Be it known that LJOHN W. WARREN, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Omaha, Nebraska, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Clarifying, Refining,and Increasing the IlluminatingPowers of Petroleum or Hydrocarbon Oils; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains touse the same.

Myinvention relates to a new and improved method for clarifyinghydrocarbon oils; and the invention consists in subjecting the oils tothe chemical reaction of a clay known as \Vyoming rock-clay, the samebeing commonly found in the State of Wyoming and which by a chemicalanalysis is found to contain elements having strong affinities for therefractory sulfonic salts contained in the oils.

Petroleum treated with sulfuric acid contains sulfonic salts, which areallowed to settle so far as they will. The oil is then poured off, iswashed with water, and finally treated with clay or fullers earth; buteven this treatment does not. wholly remove the tarry substances whichgo over with the distillation. The washing does not remove the sulfuricacid, and the fullers earth, which acts only in a mechanical way byprecipitation, fails to remove all the sulfonic salts, so that anabsolutely transparent oil does not result. In the use of fullers earththe silica and the alumina unite mechanically with the tarry substancesthat go over with the distillation and in the precipitation carry itdown, making it clearer, but leaving the sulfonic salts. By repeatingthe operation the oil is improved; but there is always a strong trace ofthe sulfonic salts present, which is objectionable and which it is myobject to eradicate entirely.

Experiment shows that magnesia in anyof its compounds and when used insufficient quantity readily chemically unites with the sulfur in theoil. The best medium for supplying the magnesia I have discovered to beWyoming rock-clay, which may be found in Wyoming and the adjacentportions of the country. This clay contains: silica, 63.25; aluminium,12.62; oxids of iron, 3.70%; magnesia, 3.971}; calcium, 4.21; soda,3.95; potash, one; sulfur, l.58, and water, 6.71. Other analyses maydiffer slightly, but not materially.. From this analysis it will be seenthat this particular clay contains five elements which have a strong andrecognized chemical affinity for sulfurnamely, silica, alumina magnesia,calcium, soda, and pot-ash.

To carry out my invention, I take the distilled oil and put intoitfinely-pulverized Wyoming rock-clay, about one pound to fifty gallons ofoil, or I may put into it magnesium carbonate and Wyoming rock-claymixed together in such quantities as judgment dictates-as, for example,even quantities, such being in accordance with the degree in which thetarry substances and sulfur exist in the oil. If the reaction is at allslow, as will sometimes occur, I agitate it one or more times, and whenthe chemical reaction is complete the residue settles and the pure oilmay be drawn off with or without filtration and may again be washed withwater. Ordinarily Wyoming rock-clay without adding the magnesiumcarbonate will be sufficient, the latter only being added when the tarrysubstances and sulfur exist in great quantities.

The term lVyoming rock-clay is applied to this species for the reasonthat geologists have failed, so far as I am enabled to ascertain, togive to it any geological name and for the further reason that it isfound principally in the State of \Vyoming and in the region of Rockcreek, Albany county, although it may exist in undiscovered quantitiesin numerous other sections of the country. I have found this clay, andit can be found to-day, in Misers Mine, in section 17, township 21north, of range 7 5 west, also in Wilcox Mine, in section 11, township22 north, of range 76 west, both in the county of Albany. In color it isa light drab, and when rubbed between the fingers it has a soapymagnesialike feeling. It may be readily crumbled and powdered, and it isnear about the consistency of French chalk, though not so hard. Bydipping one end of a piece of the clay in water it will immediatelybecome soft, yet will not dissolve. This moistened end may be readilyscraped off with aknife, and when mixed with a few drops of water itwill again 2. The herein-described method of claritying hydroctrb'onoils, which consists in mixing with the oils powdered Wyoming rockclnyand magnesium carbonate, allowing the mass to settle, and finallydrawing of]? the oil.

In testimony whereof I nowafiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN W. \VARREN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES GENENI, Jr., CHRIST KALMBACH.

